In 2007, Appalachian State — also from the Southern Conference in the FCS — pulled off what is considered the biggest upset in college football when it beat Michigan, 34-32, at Michigan Stadium in the season opener for both teams.

The loss is Florida's first in school history against a lower-division school. Georgia Southern pocketed $550,000 for making the trip to Florida in what was expected to be a light week for the Gators in advance on next week's game against Florida State.
But the most stunning part of Saturday's win was how the Eagles did it.

They lined up, dared Florida to stop the run and the Gators couldn't do it. Georgia Southern rushed for 429 yards — the Gators entered the game 15th in the country in FBS, allowing just 115.1 yards per game — and did not complete any of its three pass attempts.

“Very disappointed for our program, an embarrassment (to be) in this situation,” Florida coach Will Muschamp said. “It’s all disappointing. It’s hard to measure it at this point.”

Georgia Southern ran for 429 yards and Muschamp was simple in explaining it.

"This is what they do for a living,'' Muschamp said. “It’s hard to defend them.”

Meanwhile, GSU coach Jeff Monken said his team handled the situation well.

“There was never a doubt in their minds,” Monken said. “We didn’t play a perfect game. We put ourselves in bad situations, but nobody panicked.”

Georgia Southern led 20-10 before Florida added a field goal and a TD pass to Solomon Patton with 5:41 left in the game to tie the game, 20-20. But again, Georgia Southern drove down the field at will against Florida for the game-winning score.

The Eagles drove 75 yards in five plays, including a 53-yard run by fullback William Banks and then Jerick McKinnon's go-ahead 14-yard run. The Eagles missed their second extra point of the game, to lead by six.

Florida drove inside the Georgia Southern 30, but on fourth-and-3, Skyler Mornhinweg's pass to the goal line was knocked down and the celebration began.

The Gators are 4-7 with a season-ending game against No. 2 Florida State next Saturday.

Florida needed a win Saturday and a win next week against the Seminoles to be bowl eligible. This will be the first time since 1990 that UF hasn't gone to a bowl. That season, under Steve Spurrier, the Gators were ineligible because of NCAA sanctions. Prior to that, the Gators didn't play in bowl games — despite winning enough games — from 1984-86, also because of NCAA issues.

In 1979, Charley Pell's first season in Gainesville, Florida went 0-10-1 and that is the last season the Gators didn't play well enough on the field to be bowl eligible. Muschamp commented on UF's first losing season since 1979.